Our EOS 11.5

[Chasingopenspaces]

I bought a 2500W champion generator last summer to run the AC in our travel trailer. Much like you, I hate generators with a passion.

The speed at which the batteries will charge depends on quite a few things, and there's no easy answer. Everything starts with the energy source, in this case that's the generator. If you have a 15a port, then you can't draw more than 15a (at 120v). If you have a 20a port, then you have even more room to play with. 15a at 120v is equivalent to 150a at 12v, which would theoretically allow you to go from 0 to 100% charge (in your 300a battery bank) in 2 hours. But that won't happen.

Your onboard charger/converter will typically be limited to around 45-55a. Look up the unit you have and you'll find its specs. The wiring in the trailer will also likely be sized for no more load than this, meaning that you can't even "easily" drop in a higher-power charger. Then there is the charge profile in the charger, which will limit how much output is sent, depending on the state of charge of the battery bank. The higher the level of charger in your batteries, the slower the charger will charge.

Some people install additional chargers to put more charge into the batteries at a quicker rate. I've seen numbers quoted as much as 70-80ah.

My trailer has a converter rated to 55a of output. When my 200ah battery bank is at about 70% or higher, the converter's charge map allows an output of only around 10ah. (I'm going off memory here, there are more precise figures in my build thread.) When discharged to 20% or so, it allows 40-50ah of output. This means that if I were to start with an almost fully discharged battery bank, the first few hours will charge it at nearly max capacity (of my charger/converter), but then it slows down quite a bit.

I have a 40a DC/DC charger that does put out a stable 40ah whenever my vehicle is running, so that charging method is easier to predict.

thanks for this, super helpful. Sounds like the geny would have to run for more than an hour or two.

 

[Chasingopenspaces]

go for a 4th battery. It will look better with 4.

ha! good point. I do not like the empty battery spot either

 

[eatSleepWoof]

thanks for this, super helpful. Sounds like the geny would have to run for more than an hour or two.

Way more than an hour or two. If you're looking to get 300a of charge into your batteries, with a "normal" trailer setup you're likely looking at a 8-12 hour runtime.

That's one of the reasons I went with a DC to DC charger to begin with. My SUV idles way quieter than any generator, does not need to be carried separately, does not need spare fuel containers, off-use storage & maintenance, etc. I do open the hood to let the hot air escape easier, but other than that there's nothing else involved. It does use up more fuel than a generator for the same runtime, but that tradeoff is worth it for me.

Another benefit is that while virtually all formal campgrounds have limited "generator hours," not a single one of them has "idling vehicle hours." I can idle all day long if needed.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

ha! good point. I do not like the empty battery spot either

It's just hearkening for another BB

 

[Chasingopenspaces]

Last few weeks was a little rough on this camper. We had 65+ mph winds and the roof hatch from tern overland was not up to the task. Have been having issues with the struts for awhile now and they were repeatedly popping on and off. Unfortunately the hatch was perpendicular to the wind and I got home from work just in time to watch it blow off and then a few houses down the street. Thankfully I was able to tape a garbage bag over the hole before the rain/snow started.

Extremely disappointed with tern overland, they didn’t seem too concerned that a strong wind destroyed their product and informed me that the plexiglass window was about $750 to replace, and if the hardware was damaged I could expect that to be extra.

I don’t mind paying more for a premium product, but this hatch has been problematic from the beginning, is expensive to fix, and has a bad design overall. I got a replacement entire skylight assembly from nomadic supply and after receiving it the quality looks equivalent. Design is closer to the KISS principle and it was half the price of just the replacement window, about a third the price of the tern overland equivalent m. Will update this post if it doesn’t stand the test of time.
View attachment 870638

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Last few weeks was a little rough on this camper. We had 65+ mph winds and the roof hatch from tern overland was not up to the task. Have been having issues with the struts for awhile now and they were repeatedly popping on and off. Unfortunately the hatch was perpendicular to the wind and I got home from work just in time to watch it blow off and then a few houses down the street. Thankfully I was able to tape a garbage bag over the hole before the rain/snow started.

Extremely disappointed with tern overland, they didn’t seem too concerned that a strong wind destroyed their product and informed me that the plexiglass window was about $750 to replace, and if the hardware was damaged I could expect that to be extra.

I don’t mind paying more for a premium product, but this hatch has been problematic from the beginning, is expensive to fix, and has a bad design overall. I got a replacement entire skylight assembly from nomadic supply and after receiving it the quality looks equivalent. Design is closer to the KISS principle and it was half the price of just the replacement window, about a third the price of the tern overland equivalent m. Will update this post if it doesn’t stand the test of time.
View attachment 870637View attachment 870638View attachment 870640

Wow this is a bummer to hear and I feel for you. I have two of the largest artic tern windows in my trailer (not a Boreas) and always brag about them. Not a fan of any kind of roof hatch/skylight type windows. Would you worry about this happening on a sidewall window?

 

[Chasingopenspaces]

Wow this is a bummer to hear and I feel for you. I have two of the largest artic tern windows in my trailer (not a Boreas) and always brag about them. Not a fan of any kind of roof hatch/skylight type windows. Would you worry about this happening on a sidewall window?

I don’t think so, I have side windows as well from them and the latching mechanism is totally different and seems much more fool proof. The skylight didn’t seem to me an equivalent quality compared to their other offerings. I agree regarding skylights. In general, the less holes in the roof the better. Just glad I wasn’t out somewhere when it failed, and that the camper roof didn’t get any water damage.

Install of the replacement was pretty easy and just took a couple hours

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I don’t think so, I have side windows as well from them and the latching mechanism is totally different and seems much more fool proof. The skylight didn’t seem to me an equivalent quality compared to their other offerings. I agree regarding skylights. In general, the less holes in the roof the better. Just glad I wasn’t out somewhere when it failed, and that the camper roof didn’t get any water damage.

Install of the replacement was pretty easy and just took a couple hours

View attachment 870701

Looks awesome thanks!

 

[rehammer81]

Yes, the skylight is garbage. Pretty sure Boreas is no longer using it.

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